


Burning

by AliciaRoseFantasy



Series: Helping Hand [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Children, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Firefighters, Gen, Heroes, Hurt Peter, Hurt spidey, Hurt/Comfort, Kindness, New York, New York City, New Yorkers, News Media, Panic, Spidey, emergency personnel, paramedics, policeman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5839285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliciaRoseFantasy/pseuds/AliciaRoseFantasy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a typical fire rescue goes wrong, a fireman by the name of Aaron comes to the aid of both rescued, and rescuer.</p><p> <br/>He didn't know how long he lay there on the edge of consciousness. But someone must have heard his screams, as he was surprised when the blurry face of a man wearing an oxygen mask came into his vision, leaning over him; and surprised when he felt himself being lifted up into someone's arms, whispering soothing words to him that he could not understand through his distant, scattered hearing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there girls and boys :) Number 5 has arrived! :P I truly hope you enjoy this.
> 
> WARNING: this story contains heavy emotional themes and some description of discomfort.

The heat burned as Spidey ran through the flaming apartment building, desperately searching for its unfortunate occupants.

“Hello?” he shouted. “Hello, can you hear me!?”

Smoke clogged up his throat, causing him to cough slightly as he continued his search, precious seconds ticking by with every moment that passed - the lives of the people hanging in the balance.

“Hello? Hello! We’re in here, help!” the muffled reply of a woman came from within the next room.

Spidey dashed to their location as quickly as he could, scampering madly along the ceiling to avoid the flames smothering the wooden floor boards in front of the doorway.

“Where are you?” he asked, as he landed in the middle of a small bathroom. He heard the sounds of crying and quickly spun around, pulling apart the shower curtains, to find a young couple clinging tightly to each other, under the shower head.

Spidey sighed in relief when he saw they were unharmed. “Quick, grab hold,” he said, before they both wound their arms around him, and he turned back to the door, quickly shooting a web, and swinging out into the main part of the apartment. Looking around, he saw that the window he’d come in through was now shrouded with flames.

Breathing heavily and searching the room, he quickly found another window and, without a second’s thought, took a running leap. He smashed straight through it, angling his body so he’d take most of the force.

They both screamed in terror, pulling their arms so tightly around him that, for a moment, Spidey choked as his throat was crushed by their fearful grip.

Focusing, Spidey managed to shoot a web to the top of the building, and lowered them down safely to the ground, where firemen and paramedics were waiting for them.

They instantly let go of him, and practically fell to the ground in relief.

Spidey coughed and choked for a second, sucking in much needed oxygen as he briefly surveyed the situation.

Firemen were pouring tons and tons of water from large, round hoses at the building, yelling and shouting at one another in a panic. Spidey only needed this to tell him that things weren’t going well, and that their attempts to control the fire seemed to currently be in vain.

Reacting quickly, he turned and picked up speed, before shooting another web and pulling himself straight through another window on the lower floors.

In here it was much worse. Scorching flames rose in high bursts from all around, orange embers sparking everywhere with intense heat.

“Is there anyone still in here?” Spidey yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth as he struggled to get the words out past the fuming black smoke weighing heavily in the air.

After receiving no reply he took a few steps forward, hearing the building creak and groan dangerously as he did.

“Hello, is there anyone there?” he tried one more time, beginning to wheeze slightly from smoke inhalation.

He was about to call it a day when he felt a slight nudge from his spider-sense. Coughing, and holding his arm up in front of his mouth, he looked in the suggested direction, to find a partially closed door with the name, Grace, written in colourful letters hanging off the doorknob.

Acting quickly, he raced in the direction of the room and barged in the door to find a child’s bedroom aflame.

Sucking in another deep breath, he raced to the bed and ducked under it, finding a young girl of about five years old curled up into a little tight ball underneath, covered in black soot.

She wasn’t breathing.

Using the last of his strength, he pulled the girl out and held her in a protective bundle in his arms, before quickly getting back to the task and tearing out of the room.

The building was well and truly burning by now as flames erupted and exploded from everywhere, the heat suffocating him under the mask as he desperately searched for an escape route.

Coughing and rasping horribly, he raced towards the hallway that would lead to the stairs and bounded down with lightning speed and agility as he got closer and closer to an exit. Running and running, he made it to the final set of stairs, feeling dizzy and light headed, as he could no longer breathe from the smoke anymore, when there was an explosion.

His spider-sense erupted. He barely registered the sound above, as part of the building came down, through the searing pain that lashed across his side, barely registered the sound of his own horrific screams as the flames burnt his skin, the only thought in his mind being to protect the bundle in his arms as his vision blurred - darkness creeping in at the edges.

He lay there at the top of the stairs, gasping and wheezing for what little bit of air he could get in his lungs, his throat thick and clogged with smoke. But all he could think about was saving that girl.

He didn’t know how long he lay there on the edge of consciousness. But someone must have heard his screams, as he was surprised when the blurry face of a man wearing an oxygen mask came into his vision, leaning over him; and surprised when he felt himself being lifted up into someone’s arms, whispering soothing words to him that he could not understand through his distant, scattered hearing.

 

* * *

 

Aaron burst out of the building with the precious bundle cradled in his arms, racing towards the emergency services, which all swarmed towards him.

The minute he’d heard the heart wrenching scream, he knew it was Spider-Man. And he knew that the beloved web slinger needed help. And what better way to repay him for all the wonderful things he’d done for this city, than to help him right now?

Despite protests from his fellow firefighters, he hadn’t waited a second before racing straight in there to rescue the hero.

He gently lay Spidey down on the ground, who was still clutching onto the lifeless girl.

It pained him no end to see him choking and gasping desperately for air, throat moving below the costume as he did so, desperate for the life-giving substance. He had been barely responsive when he’d found him lying there pitifully in the burning building, completely helpless.

Aaron had to wipe a few tears away from his eyes as the paramedics surrounded them. The first thing they did was try to drag the girl away from Spidey’s clutch, but they weren’t expecting his response, as he immediately jerked and tried to pull the girl closer to him, burying her into his chest.

The paramedics moved in again, pulling the girl away with a firmer grip this time. Spidey kicked and clung onto her, panicking and being dragged along the ground slightly as he didn’t let go, smacking a paramedic brutally hard in the arm with his frantic movements in the process.

“Spidey, Spidey!” Aaron yelled, bravely placing a hand to the hero's heaving chest, with another on his arm (unafraid of being hurt), to calm him.

“Spidey, it’s alright,” he soothed, as he stroked small circles on his arm for comfort, watching Spidey panicking and choking with awful lung-racking coughs.

Acting quickly, a paramedic moved around to Spidey’s head, and placed a hand on his neck, finding the seam of his mask, before quickly sliding it up over his nose. He pressed an oxygen mask to his mouth, while tucking a hand under the hero's chin, keeping him still, and holding the mask in place.

“Shhh,” Aaron eased, as Spidey continued to cough and splutter into the oxygen mask, before finally taking in his first, deep, shaky breath. “Easy,” Aaron said, as if he was talking to a small child, as he rubbed Spidey’s heaving chest.

“Good. That’s good Spidey,” he continued, as Spidey took another few deep breaths.

Slowly, they all watched as Spidey began to calm down, breathing in long, deep breaths from the oxygen mask, as he began to slowly regain his senses.

Spidey groaned as his blurry vision became clear, and he began to think straight again, the searing pain in his side burning through his mind and the pounding of his head blinding him with pain.

He groaned again, moving his head slightly, and shifting on the pavement, feeling the wonderful oxygen grace his tired, burning lungs.

There was a bit of mumbling around him, and the sound of people shifting, as he hesitantly reached up a hand to feel that there was another one holding the oxygen mask to his face, and supporting his chin. He let his arm fall back to his side when another hand gently pulled his curious fingers away and his spider-sense warned him of no danger.

Aaron watched Spidey swallow a couple of times as he seemed to regain his bearings, before the two paramedics who’d left quickly returned with supplies, and began to lay damp cloths over the nasty burn down Spidey’s right side, therefore cooling it.

Spidey leaned his head back in response, obviously finding great relief in the burn being cooled.

He lay there for quite some time with the paramedics treating his wound and the hands of several other paramedics and firefighters resting on his arms and knees to soothe him. He felt himself slowly calming down, his healing factor kicking in, recovering him slowly.

He turned his head, only to see that a large crowd of people had gathered with silent concern, and news crews were covering the entire event.

Spidey went slightly red under the mask, as he’d realised the whole of New York, and possibly the world, had just witnessed his moment of weakness and panic, without him being aware of it. But there wasn’t much he could do about it now, as it had already been done.

He suddenly heard the sound of sirens approaching, and before he knew it, several police cars had pulled up, and an officer was walking towards where he lay.

Spidey scrambled to push himself up as he came to a stop in front of them, glancing slightly at his now bandaged side as it flared with pain.

“O-,” he coughed, “officer”, he said, addressing the man.

“Spider-Man,” he addressed, with a nod. “That was a brave thing you did, saving that child. How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Wh-what?” Spidey asked, before he then looked down, “I’m sorry sir, but you must’ve heard wrong, because I didn’t save that child,” he said, a little choked up with guilt.

The officer’s eyes just went wide, and he looked appalled. “No son, you did save that child. They managed to revive her while you were out of it,” he said.

“W-what?” Spidey said, before looking in the same direction as the officer. Instantly, his eyes filled with tears and his chest hitched, as he caught sight of the young girl he’d cradled out of there, moving and very much alive, as she hugged and cried with her parents, who were clinging onto her for dear life.

A wave of the most indescribable feeling washed over him, as he couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d saved her; it hadn’t all been for nothing. He’d saved her!

He made a small choking sound as emotions overwhelmed him, and was surprised when the man took the oxygen mask away from his face, and the firefighter who’d dragged him out of that building brought a water bottle to his lips.

“Here. Drink,” Aaron said, tipping it up slightly, encouraging the wall crawler to take it.

Spidey opened his mouth and let the soothing liquid wash over his dry tongue, swallowing it down his throat. Instantly, he greedily leaned into the water bottle for more. He guzzled it down, not realizing how dehydrated he’d become, letting the water pool in his mouth before sending it down his throat in greedy gulps, extending his neck back.

His hands pawed at Aaron's. And before he knew it, the water was gone, and he was greeted with many shocked faces.

Spidey licked his dry lips, before pulling his red mask back down again.

“Well, ah...thanks, for helping me,” he said, before slowly standing up, leaning against the paramedics, and walking towards the happy family a little way away.

“Hey,” he said quietly, causing their heads to turn. “Are you ok?” he asked the girl.

She broke out into a huge grin and ran up to him, hugging him tightly, nearly causing him to topple over, as he ended up cross legged on the ground in front of her instead, as she continued to hug him. He was surprised she had so much strength, for someone who’d been technically dead but a minute ago.

“Thank you so much Spidey, for saving my life,” she said, her head buried in his chest, mindful of his injured side.

“It was my true honour,” Spidey replied, smiling.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” the mother said, as she had moved over to the two’s embrace. “I don’t know how we can possibly repay you for saving our daughters life!” she cried, tears streaming down her face, and smearing mascara.

“You don’t have to Mrs. I don’t ask for any reward,” he said truthfully, as he looked up at their thankful faces, the small bundle still nuzzling into her rescuer. They had pure relief written all over them, as they both smiled at the young hero’s glossy lenses with teary eyes.

“Oh, but you deserve a reward!” the girl, “Grace”, suddenly said, and she turned around to her mother, motioning for her handbag. Her mother quickly obliged, handing her the bag as Grace rummaged through it, before turning around, holding up....a lollypop? Spidey couldn’t help but chuckle at the simplicity of the situation, but happily held out his hand and accepted the gift.

“Thank you,” he said to her, slightly amused, before slowly unwinding himself from her, and getting up.

He took in a big, deep breath. “Well,” he said. “I guess I’d best be off,” he added, in farewell, giving the girl a small salute, before swinging up to the roof of a nearby building.

 

* * *

 

Spidey crouched there on the rooftop, looking over the scene with a lollypop in his mouth as the chaos slowly began to calm down, the flames finally fizzling out from within the building. ‘ _What a night_ ’ he thought to himself, as he looked up at the glowing moon, shining silver light over the rooftops.

**Author's Note:**

> Awwww, I'm sorry, I just love that ending! I hope you enjoyed it :) And if you did, do let me know :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! And have a nice day/night :)


End file.
